Josh at The Ardavany Approach panel - Lost-Forum.com

ilsa lund · 07-30-2009, 01:51 PM

I got to see him at the above on Tuesday (see Cast Appearances post by Lyly Ford); here are pix taken by the photographers:

I have a long account of the event to write; I'll post when it's written.

jensy · 08-01-2009, 05:43 AM

Thanks for the info, but I can´t see the pics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilsa lund

I got to see him at the above on Tuesday (see Cast Appearances post by Lyly Ford); here are pix taken by the photographers:

I have a long account of the event to write; I'll post when it's written.

ilsa lund · 08-01-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jensy

Thanks for the info, but I can´t see the pics.

Goodness! They were there earlier but you're right, I can't see them either. However, these are the same pix that were posted by another member in the "Josh Pictures 3" thread.

Here's my report of the evening:

Josh agreed to be the first guest at an acting panel by a friend of his, Tom Ardavany whom he met several years ago at a class. The event was held last Tuesday in Santa Monica in a place that I believe creates sound effects. It was a very small room with folding chairs.

Tom came out first, spoke a little and then showed a clip from last season’s LOST finale; it started with Sawyer behind the jeep and ended with his face after Juliet fell.

Tom then introduced Josh. Josh was wearing what looks like one of his favorite outfits: a white shirt, torn blue jeans, and thongs. He had a watch and his wedding ring on his left arm/hand and a bracelet on his right (see above pictures).

Josh seemed very happy and surprised by all the people there (not sure what the count was but the event advertised no more than 60 seats); some of them were former classmates. He explained how he and Tom met.

The focus of the evening was how Josh used The Ardavany (acting) Approach in his work on LOST, specifically, the clip we just saw.

Josh said that they generally get the scripts 2 days before filming but with the finale, they were getting pages AS they were filming. When he gets a script, he goes into his man-cave off of his garage so he doesn’t have any interruptions – artistic space was mentioned. He doesn’t look at the script right away but turns it over and allows his first impulses to come in. Generally, he’s fairly right about the script after he reads it but he does need to be flexible as filming goes on.

Tom asked how he prepared for the scene with Juliet being pulled into the ground which I believe they referred to as “the drop” – the emotional core of a scene (they used various Ardavany Approach terms through-out the evening). Josh said that he tries to get very specific and simple and used his personal life in this scene; he imagined holding his pregnant wife’s hand and how he would feel if something happened to her. If I remember correctly, he said he cried for about an hour thinking of this. On the way to the set that day, he didn’t let it stay with him all day; instead he played joyful reggae music in the car (took him 45 minutes to get to the set that day).

Josh emphasized repeatedly that an actor’s safety is their responsibility. When he gets to a set that includes lots of action that day – as was the above clip – he makes a point to check it out and have any possible dangers taken care of. While the crew was setting up various shots that day, or any day for that matter, Josh says that there are lots of jokes and games being played (Scramble).

Josh said that he can’t just go right into a scene – he needs 5-10 seconds of quiet and/or music first. Get an Ipod!

They don’t do a lot of rehearsal; they check camera positions and lighting and basically just go!

There are, I believe, just 2 in-house directors on LOST – Jack Bender being one of them; Josh said that he has a strong working relationship with him.

Something came up about Josh going from a guest star to leading man status; apparently guest stars on TV are basically ignored. Josh said that they’ve had fantastic guest stars. Now that he’s a lead, he said that it gives him a chance to show more emotions and be more open. He said that he likes to always play the humanity in a scene.

He called Elizabeth Mitchell “Liz” several times.

They do multiple takes: 2 of a master shot, 2 medium, and 2 close-ups.

Tom wanted him to recreate the Juliet dropping scene with a student; one lucky young lady was chosen and got to hold Josh’s hand. Tom wanted her to drop to the floor but she was in heels. Josh, as always, was a gentleman.

There was a Q & A afterwards; here are some of the questions/answers:

What is his relationship with the camera?

Josh said that you have to get to know the cameramen and the camera; it’s like a dance between actor and camera.

Stunts?

The stunts are created beforehand by the stuntmen and are generally acceptable to the directors, however, they are adjusted to accommodate the actors. Again, not much rehearsal. Josh and Matthew didn’t have much when shooting the fight scene, maybe 15-20 minutes to check safety. He said that in a fight scene, the receiving actor is the one that has to make the punches work – he has to receive them properly. Josh said not to act for the camera angles – you can get too close to the other actor and hurt them – let the cameramen do their job.

How do you cope with business (the face of ABC, etc.)?

Josh said that he was terrible when first doing interviews especially with a show like this where they have to keep secrets. Tom asked what IS going on with LOST? Josh – “I’ve no *@%#ing idea!”

As for the business, Josh said to be a pro, responsible, and impeccable on-set and off; be inspirational, no diva turns, learn how to interview, be respectful of everyone on set (close to crew).

Improvisation allowed on LOST?

Josh said that TPTB are cool with it. Josh said that he does it if it’s within character and keeps the integrity of the scene, etc. He sited a scene from S1 I believe in which Jack told Sawyer that he was moving everyone to the caves and Josh came up with the “see ya” and bye wave.

Also, he said that he had only one line when he was holding Juliet’s hand but he improvised the rest; I believe the written line was “You hold on!”

Would he do films?

YES! He does love the pace of TV – doesn’t like to just sit in his trailer – but definitely wants to do films.

Love scenes? How do you balance them?

Discuss with other actors what their parameters are; of course, per Josh, with ABC’s standards, they’re not too racy.

Afterwards, Tom wanted to replay the clip with Josh commenting on it and where/how he used the Approach. Now this part was funny…

Josh had to use the men’s room first. Well, there was only one room in the back. So Josh goes in. Tom wanted Josh to be in the back and pause the DVD player when he had a comment. Being a small room used for sound effects, Josh could be heard in the bathroom saying out loud “Hold on. I’ve got another gun in my hand.” The room LOL’d!! Now I see where Sawyer gets some of his funny lines!

It was decided afterward that Josh would be up front with us and just tell the other guy when to pause. What was also funny was that Tom would say what was used in a shot and Josh had to politely correct him several times!

Josh said that Liz did her own stunts – she actually “fell” 40 feet into the hole! Josh said how he had sore ribs/arms.

He also said that when he was holding Patrick who played Phil, he told him not to move but that he would move him in relation to the camera.

Josh said that you need to know where your squibs are and when they’re going to go off so you can move your head and not get dust, etc. in your face.

In talking about emotional scenes, the writers wanted to put in the “this is not LAX” line; Josh was like, a joke at this time? So he didn’t play it solely as a joke as we saw.

In the end, Josh bowed, put on his cap, said that he’d meet Tom outside for a beer and then left through backdoor (the same door he entered through). All in all, the event was about 1 and 45 minutes.

As always, Josh is very gracious. Having seen Josh at the Paley Festival panel 6 months after LOST premiered, I found him to be much more confident now. Also, I came away with an even greater appreciation of his work; he obviously puts a lot of time and effort into giving it his best. While I didn’t understand all the acting terms, I got the crux of it and understood that it’s a lot harder than we thought.

Well, I hope I recounted the evening well. You’re welcome to ask questions – may jog my memory a bit.

happy face · 08-10-2009, 11:21 AM

thanks for the information isla lund!

Scotty · 08-11-2009, 01:26 PM

Thank you Isla - that was definitely the most comprehensive description of what happened that I've read - you really gave us a flavour of the evening.

peachlily22 · 08-21-2009, 11:23 PM

awww thanks so much for all of that

bookmarkmaster · 08-23-2009, 03:47 AM

An imaginative campaign from ABC to promote its series for the 2009-10 season is being expanded.

The campaign, which began in May, is centered on the fanciful notion that the stars of all the shows broadcast by ABC live together in a house as one big happy family. Think of it as sort of a marketing spin on “Big Brother.”

The commercials that have appeared so far have been general in nature, featuring ABC stars like Sally Field (“Brothers and Sisters”), Teri Hatcher (“Desperate Housewives”), Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and the late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. New spots that are to begin running on Saturday, which will be available in longer versions next week on abc.com, will promote four new sitcoms that are to make their debuts on Wednesdays in the fall.

The new Wednesday series touted in the commercials are “Hank,” starring Kelsey Grammer; “The Middle,” starring Patricia Heaton; “Modern Family,” with an ensemble cast that includes Ed O’Neill; and “Cougartown,” with Courteney Cox. They are to appear from 8 to 10 on Wednesday nights.

The vignettes in the commercials include Calista Flockhart of “Brothers and Sisters” welcoming Mr. Grammer to the ABC house and showing him to his room. He offers her a tip; she tells him she is not a maid. Also, Josh Holloway of “Lost” and Ms. Cox exchange ripostes at a barbecue. And some of the newcomers are pressed into doing laundry for the casts of established ABC series like “Dancing With the Stars” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“We started with the people who are very familiar faces,” said Marla Provencio, co-executive vice president for marketing at ABC with Mike Benson. Now the idea is to use the premise of the ABC house to “introduce our new Wednesday comedy line-up,” she added.

“The great thing about the ABC house campaign is that it has such great legs,” Ms. Provencio said.

For instance, if ABC is to broadcast a special show like the American Music Awards, she added, the celebrities who are nominees could appear in commercials as if they had been invited to the ABC house “for a special dinner” or “television night.”

The campaign is being created internally at the marketing department at ABC, part of the Walt Disney Company, with Becky Daugherty, vice president for specials and late night, and her staff members. Vince Manze, a former NBC marketing executive who is a consultant to ABC, is also helping develop the campaign.

jensy · 10-08-2009, 06:02 AM

Thank you Ilsa for the info of the evening.

ilsa lund · 10-13-2009, 07:36 PM

From an email I just rec'd from www.theapproach.net:

You can read about the last Ardavany Approach Actors on Acting event with Josh Holloway, star of ABC's hit "Lost", in the latest version of Beverly Hills Lifestyle Magazine: http://bhlmag.com/fall09/ You can watch video of Josh talking about preparing for a scene and working on the set, see pictures from the event, and read comments from attendees.